EVANSTON — During the Uinta County Economic Development Commission (UCEDC) meeting on Wednesday, June 26, Sen. Wendy Schuler, R-Evanston, informed the commission about a potential new business planning to locate to Uinta County.  The business plans to mine rare earth minerals in Sweetwater County and build a refinery for those minerals in Uinta County, Schuler said.

“Most rare earth minerals are mined and refined in China — 62% compared to 12% from the U.S.” Schuler said. “We need to do it all here in Wyoming. This company— I can’t give their name yet — will be holding a meeting July 11 in Rock Springs, and they are hoping someone from this commission will attend. We need to be a major player and get this off the ground.”

Schuler said the company was established in 1988 in Utah and is a leader in the field of rare earth minerals. They are a green company and use less water than normal and leave a small footprint on the environment, Schuler said. They have developed a molecular resolution technology (MRT), which has the capability to quickly and efficiently separate out the lithium and iridium — both currently high in demand.

The employment estimate for the company would be 40 to 50 jobs initially and grow from there, Schuler said. The commission agreed to send several members to the July meeting with the company.

Gary Welling mentioned a letter he received from the Sweetwater Economic Development Coalition inviting UCEDC to partner with the Coalition on a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS). With much projected growth in southwest Wyoming, a partnership would provide an opportunity to jointly apply for grant funding and together develop a strategy for dealing with the rapid growth.

“It is important to build relationships with all of the growth that is going on in the area,” Welling said. “We need to work together on grants and to figure out what the process is for federal funding. It is a positive to have another county reach out to us.”

Several of the strategic planning committees provided updates.

Welling reported that the “Quality of Life” committee had not had a meeting yet.

Ben Bell with the “Promote Development” group said they had met earlier that same day and were scheduling a meeting with Planning and Zoning in order to discuss how to make building requirements less obstructive to developers.

Rocco O’Neill and Eric Wyatt reported for the Funding/Revenue committee. O’Neill said the half cent tax initiative is going smoothly; it was posted on the social media calendar and they were working on yard signs and flyers to educate the public about the tax initiative.

Rep. Jon Conrad reported on the status of the bid for the shooting complex. He provided an overview of the scores and results.

“I want to apologize that we weren’t successful,” Conrad said. “We had 4,000 acres we did not have to purchase but we still came in sixth in the rating. Cody, Cheyenne, Casper and Campbell County are the top contenders now.”

Ben Bell said the winners would not be able to put the $10 million immediately into a facility as they would have to spend it on purchasing land.

Welling added, “If Cody gets it and has to spend most of it buying land, will the legislature keep funding it? That’s my concern.”

Sen. Schuler said she doesn’t see any more money coming from anyone.

Guests at the meeting, Invenergy Director of Renewal Development Natacha Kiler and associate Madison Wrobley gave a brief overview of their company. The company develops solar, wind, battery, and natural gas projects and are currently getting county permits and will start construction in the spring of 2025 and will be operational in 2026.

They plan to be able to power 70,000 homes with their facility, which will be built 10 miles north of Evanston. During construction they will employ 150 workers; after construction, they will employ 10 full-time workers.

UCEDC chair Dan Wheeler asked the two women to come to another meeting and give a presentation on their company and they agreed.